News

There is still time to take part in Visit Wales’s Year of Adventure and enjoy the Welsh countryside whilst walking or cycling. Wales has some of the best walking and cycling routes, from the Taff Trail to the Llangollen Canal, through breath-taking scenery and nature.

Sustrans Cymru have listed their top ten best routes in Wales which showcase what Wales has to offer walkers and cyclists of all abilities. Take a look through their list here.

Pupils throughout Caerphilly county borough are celebrating International Walk to School Month this October, with 5,000 pupils ditching the car and walking to school.

23 Caerphilly schools are currently taking part in the global event, with classroom charts and prizes awarded to each school from Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Road Safety Team.

Walking buses have also proven very popular during Walk to School Month, as well as Junior Road Safety Officers from Tyn-Y-Wern, Pengam and Crumlin Primary Schools producing presentations in assembly to promote walking within their respective schools.

Cllr Tom Williams, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transportation and Engineering said: “By making the effort and walking to school, pupils are doing their bit to help the environment by reducing their carbon footprint. Walking regularly also helps to keep pupils fit and active which is important for their wellbeing. Well done to everyone who is taking part in Walk to School Month”.

Parents across Carmarthenshire are being reminded to make sure their children can ‘Be seen this Halloween’.

The Council’s Road Safety Team is launching its annual ‘be seen’ campaign to coincide with the clocks going back on Sunday, October 30.

With the darker mornings and nights coming in, children are being encouraged to wear bright clothing. Parents could also consider investing in fluorescent / reflective armbands or tabards to help keep their children safe when out and about near roads.

Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “On dark nights and in bad weather all pedestrians; and children in particular, are vulnerable on the roads because they are less visible to motorists.

“We want to encourage parents to ensure that their children are made aware of the importance of wearing bright clothing this time of year.

“Anyone travelling near traffic, for example children walking to and from school in the winter, should wear or carry something reflective in poor light and bright or fluorescent during the day to make themselves as visible as possible and keep them safe.”

Children and School Crossing Patrol Staff are being put at risk of death or injury by drivers who fail to stop when the Stop sign is displayed.

Drivers are legally obliged to obey the School Crossing Patrol Sign under the Road Traffic Act 1988. As soon as a patrol raises their sign, even if they have not stepped into the road, the law states that drivers must be prepared to stop.

Once the School Crossing Patrol is in the road displaying the sign, drivers MUST stop, and not proceed until the School Crossing Patrol and any accompanying children have finished crossing the road.

The first European Day Without A Road Death is taking place across Europe on Wednesday 21 September. Devised as Project EDWARD by the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL), the initiative seeks to draw attention to the average of 70 deaths occurring every day on the roads of Europe.

UK support for Project EDWARD comes from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Road Safety GB, Road Safety Scotland, Road Safety Wales, the Automobile Association and many public and private organisations.

TISPOL believes it’s vital to gain the support of national governments, as well as winning the hearts and minds of individual road users, in order to bring about sustained and significant reductions in death and injury on Europe’s roads.

With 50 days to go until the first ‘European Day Without a Road Death’ (Project EDWARD), TISPOL has published a video suggesting ways for road users to get involved in the event.

Project EDWARD takes place on 21 September, and TISPOL, the European traffic police network, hopes all of its 30 member countries will participate.

Supported by Road Safety GB and other road safety stakeholders in the UK and across Europe, the event has been created to ‘re-energise the reduction of fatalities and serious injuries on Europe’s roads’.

Pupils, parents and staff from Ysgol Y Lawnt celebrated the start of Walk to School Week by holding an additional Walking Bus from St David’s Church in Rhymney to Ysgol Y Lawnt.

The Walking Bus was held in addition to their weekly Wednesday Walking Bus, which has been a success for the last 8 years. Approximately 50 participants regularly attend, with parents and younger siblings often joining the pupils to take part in the early morning stroll.

Many of the pupils have attended the Walking Bus from nursery, right through to Year 6 - with some participants even taking part before starting nursery.